The Last Hold-Out

Collected by Emily Story (emily.f.story@vanderbilt.edu)

Summary: Vanderbilt razed a neighborhood and left it vacant for many years; one homeowner made
an agreement to live in his or her house until death.

Text: About 20-30 years ago, Vanderbilt claimed a neighborhood through eminent domain and bulldozed
all but one house. The person living in that house was rumored to have struck a deal with the university to
live in the house until he or she died. For many years, one house stood alone in a huge piece of vacant land.
Finally, that house was also razed, but the land still sat vacant. Only a couple of years ago was the property
paved for medical center parking and the football practice field. This episode was responsible for creating ill
will between Vanderbilt and the community.

Notes  Since the professor who told me the tale has been here for a number of years, he had personal
knowledge of the vacant land, the lone house and the subsequent construction. The other information,
however, is from stories he heard and did not fully believe.

CONTEXT
A. Brief summary of tale: Vanderbilt razed a neighborhood and
left it vacant for many years; one homeowner made an agreement to live
in his or her house until death.
B. Tale type and motifs: University-town relations
C. Comments on tale:
D. Approximate date informant first heard the tale: 1983
E. Relationship of your informant with the individual from whom
the informant heard the tale: unknown
F. Circumstances when tale was first heard: unknown
G. Give the following information on your informant:
Age: 40s
Sex: M
Place of birth: Texas
Ethnic group: Caucasian
Languages spoken: English, Spanish, Portuguese...
Religion: unknown
Year in school (or education level if not a
student): professor
Extracurricular jobs? n/a
Date Collected: 9/15/98